Women architects of the modernist movement take center stage as three chroniclers share notes in the panel discussion, “Documenting Women in Architecture,” part of the Docomomo US National Symposium themed “Yo! Modernism.”

Headlining the discussion on Thursday, June 2, 11:35am to 12:50pm, panelist Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, AIA, will address “Soundscapes, Voices, and Places: Podcasting the Pioneering Women of American Architecture.” Kracauer, executive director of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) and host of the group’s New Angle:Voice historical podcast series, has cultivated a fast-growing audience for the in-depth conversations with architecture and design professionals on the lives and legacies of often-forgotten women architects.

“Documenting Women in Architecture” brings together moderator Heather Isbell Schumacher, archivist at the Architectural Archives at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design with two other panelists: Fátima Olivieri-Martinez, a principal at Kieran Timberlake, speaking on the subject of “Elizabeth Fleisher and Philadelphia Modernism,” and Franca Trubiano on “The Other Philadelphia School: Mimi Lobell, Stanislava Nowicki, and Blanche Lemco.”

Docomomo US has organized the multi-day conference with the theme “Yo! Modernism!” to highlight the expanding world of preservation of modern architecture, art, structures and neighborhoods. The events bring into sharp relief the striking aesthetics of modernism, and the distinct and important cultural contributions of works from that era and onward. 

This year’s symposium is a collaboration between Docomomo US and Docomomo Philadelphia, with a focus on Philadelphia as an encapsulation of many diverse modernist expressions worldwide. The group is among the global champions of the “importance of place and community in our modern heritage, as well as the urgency of preservation efforts,” says Docomomo US.